Nail Ideas From New York Fashion Week Spring 2014 That Look More Classy Than Crazy

Last year's overabundance of insane nail art made us think the runways at New York Fashion Week would be littered with a bunch of bare—or barely there—nail looks. We were pleasantly surprised, however, by the understated yet interesting manicure ideas we saw on the spring 2014 runways. Check out 10 new nail ideas to consider now.

Nail Idea: Simple Patterns

How cool is this green windowpane design we spotted at Tracy Reese? The designer's nail polish collaboration with Sally Hansen (including the colors seen here) doesn't hit stores until March 2014, but a similar look is easy to achieve with a Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen.

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Nail Idea: Mixing Shades

Sometimes the just-right nail color for a show doesn't exist. That's when nail pros get crafty and mix shades to create bespoke hues. "It is something that requires a little bit of practice and a steady hand," says Keri Blair, a makeup artist for MAC, who gave us the rundown on the nails backstage at Rebecca Taylor. The hardest part, she says, is finding the right container. "An empty topcoat bottle works great."

Nail Idea: A Floating Half-Moon

Half-moon manicures are nothing new. Here it was in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012, but something about the white-and-nude half-moons at Milly caught our eye. "I love creating nail art on a nude base because it gives the illusion that the nail art is floating on the nail," said Katie Jane Hughes, Butter London global color ambassador.

Nail Idea: Graphic Texture

We loved the textural, but not in-your-face, impact that the "graffiti art" nails had at Veronica Beard. The pros at Essie painted models' nails with First Base basecoat and then layered with Vested Interest before applying a few strategically placed strokes of the Matte About You finisher.

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Nail Idea: Subtle Ombré

We thought we were over ombré nails. Then we saw this gorgeous version created by Gina Edwards for Morgan Taylor at Zac Posen and fell in love all over again.

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Nail Idea: Strategic Sparkle

Allover glitter can read holiday really fast, which is why we dug the more low-key sparkles at Jenny Packham. To get the look, follow the Essie nail gurus who limited the use of the glittery Set in Stones polish to the edges of the models' nails, near the cuticle.

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Nail Idea: Sheer Colors

Matte nail looks still ruled the runways, but backstage at Theysken's Theory, nail artist Julie Kandalec for Essie told us she's seeing a sheer, high-gloss nail trend for spring. Not sure if a polish is truly sheer? "Open the bottle up and look at the brush," she says. "If you can see the bristles through the polish, you'll know it's sheer."